For many years railway brake shoes were of cast iron and applicable to a head as shown in Moore U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,984. Later the head was rigidified by a crossbar between adjacent toes as shown in Spaeth U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,415. When shoes of high friction composition material were developed to provide increased friction and resistance to wear, the toe crossbars were shifted to exclude application of low friction composition or cast iron shoes. Accordingly it has been necessary for railroad shops to carry a supply of both types of heads in order to service brake beams requiring both types of shoe.